Steve McQueen, one of the first "cool" film stars, remains a cultural icon the world over. His image is used to sell everything from cars, to beer, to a range of dolls. From the Cicinnati Kid to Frank Bullitt, Tom Crown to Papillon, his roles exemplified a certain school of male charm, as well as grit and a hint of menace. McQueen was born in 1930 into a poor Mid-western family to a highly strung mother and truant father. In and out of reform school from a young age, he was eventually made a ward of court and the resulting sense of abandonment never left him. His big break came with the TV saga "Wanted: Dead or Alive" and the now cult-classic B-movie "The Blob". Just two years later he was one of the leading lights of tinseltown. Sandford goes on to chart McQueen's phenomenal Hollywood career, starring in some of the world's best-loved films, in tandem with his turbulent private life: his marriages, his bisexuality, the drink, the fast cars, casual sex and violence.

McQueen

Biographies & Memoirs

SANDFORD, Christopher

Arts & Literature

Harpercollins Entertainment

Imran Khan: The Cricketer, the Celebrity, the Politician

The definitive biography of Imran Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain and all-rounder—the Oxbridge graduate and vociferous campaigner; the devout Muslim whose kaleidoscopic social life flooded the gossip columns; the man who raised $60 million for cancer research and who is now one of the most important political figures in Pakistan. On one thing, Imran Khan's friends and enemies agree: it all began with the leopard print satin trousers. In November 1974, the Cricketer International published an article about the new elite group of young talented players, "into concepts like fashion and pop music," and bent on challenging cricket's eternal stereotypes. Of the five featured stars on the cover, a superbly hirsute 21-year-old wearing a tight black shirt and gaudy trousers, with a facial expression of supreme self-confidence, stood out. Imran Khan has always been a controversial figure, a man who gives rise to hot debate on account of his strong conviction and hard line views. From his achievements on the cricket field as the Pakistan captain who captured the World Cup and the game's best all-rounder in history, through to his racy social life—the practicing Muslim boogieing on the dancefloor of Annabel's; an "astonishing lovemaker," according to one overnight partner; praised by Diana Princess of Wales, close friend to his then wife Jemima Goldsmith, as a "devoted husband"—the Imran story is full of color and contradictions. Acclaimed biographer Christopher Sandford has approached a richly varied cast list of Imran associates past and present—from Geoff Boycott, Javed Miandad, Mike Brearley, David Gower, and John Major through to Nelson Mandela and close acquaintances such as Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, John Major, Keith Richards, sources close to the late Princess of Wales, and Pakistan's General Musharraf. Imran Khan himself and his ex-wife Jemima have agreed to be interviewed for the book and given Sandford exclusive access to Imran's inner sanctum.

Harpercollins Pub, Ltd.

The definitive biography of Imran Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain and all-rounder—the Oxbridge graduate and vociferous campaigner; the devout Muslim whose kaleidoscopic social life flooded the gossip columns; the man who raised $60 million for cancer research and who is now one of the most important political figures in Pakistan. On one thing, Imran Khan's friends and enemies agree: it all began with the leopard print satin trousers. In November 1974, the Cricketer International published an article about the new elite group of young talented players, "into concepts like fashion and pop music," and bent on challenging cricket's eternal stereotypes. Of the five featured stars on the cover, a superbly hirsute 21-year-old wearing a tight black shirt and gaudy trousers, with a facial expression of supreme self-confidence, stood out. Imran Khan has always been a controversial figure, a man who gives rise to hot debate on account of his strong conviction and hard line views. From his achievements on the cricket field as the Pakistan captain who captured the World Cup and the game's best all-rounder in history, through to his racy social life—the practicing Muslim boogieing on the dance floor of Annabel's; an "astonishing love maker," according to one overnight partner; praised by Diana Princess of Wales, close friend to his then wife Jemima Goldsmith, as a "devoted husband"—the Imran story is full of color and contradictions.

Leaders & Notable People

This in-depth examination of one of Hollywood’s most famous, and infamous, directors and stars is utterly absorbing.Born in Paris to Polish-Jewish parents, Polanski dealt with the terrors of his childhood — including internment in Auschwitz — by creating an elaborate fantasy world in which he lived as a film star. He would go on to become one of the very best and most infamous directors in Hollywood’s history — with a backlist that includes Repulsion; Rosemary’s Baby; Macbeth; Chinatown; Tess; Frantic and, more recently, the Oscar– and Golden Globe–winning The Pianist. Yet it is within his personal life that the most dramatic story unfolds.In August, 1969, his wife Sharon Tate, eight months pregnant, and seven of the couple’s friends were butchered by the Manson family. Polanski, the intended target, was in Paris at the time. Then, eight years later, he was arrested by LA police on charges of drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl. He fled the country and has since lived in exile in Paris. Polanski’s latest film was the hit Oliver Twist and, it is rumoured, he promises to follow it with his long-awaited version of the Tate killings. Both projects, dealing with child exploitation and murder, can only fuel the controversy that surrounds him.This biography is the first chance his fans and detractors have had to read about him in real depth. It reveals the brilliant creativity, talent, self-destruction, sex, drugs and wild excesses, with names and stories told for the first time.

Polanski

Humor & Entertainment

Arrow

Renowned mystery author Arthur Conan Doyle and famous illusionist Harry Houdini first met in 1920, during the magician's tour of England. At the time, Conan Doyle had given up his lucrative writing career, killing off Sherlock Holmes in the process, in order to concentrate on his increasingly manic interest in Spiritualism. Houdini, who regularly conducted séances in an attempt to reach his late mother, was also infatuated with the idea of what he called a "living afterlife," though his enthusiasm came to be tempered by his ability to expose fraudulent mediums, many of whom employed crude variations of his own well-known illusions. Using previously unpublished material on the murky relationship between Houdini and Conan Doyle, this sometimes macabre, sometimes comic tale tells the fascinating story of the relationship between two of the most loved figures of the twentieth century and their pursuit of magic and lost loved ones.

Masters of Mystery: The Strange Friendship of Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini

St. Martin's: Griffin

This dramatic account weaves together the rich and complex life of the celebrated and controversial film director, Holocaust survivor, and exile, based on a wealth of sources and new material. New revelations about Polanski's life include: 
-- The connection between his mother's death in Auschwitz and wife Sharon Tate's murder by the Manson family―both women were pregnant -- His radical transition from childhood poverty in a Krakow ghetto to a glamorous Hollywood life among socialites -- The psychological complexity and central thread of sexuality that runs throughout his films and his relationships with younger women -- A culmination of tragedies in Polanski's life, from the Holocaust to the Manson murders to his sexual assault charges and subsequent exile from the U.S. 
The unique humor of the "rascal genius" that keeps the world watching and awaiting his new projects Acclaimed biographer Sandford draws on dozens of interviews with actors who have worked with Polanski, as well as previously sealed transcripts of his criminal hearings, testimony before the California grand jury following the accusations that led to his exile, and personal reflections on the murders of Sharon Tate and other friends of the couple. Polanski's films from 1962 to 2005 are contextualized within his life, including such highlights as Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, and the Oscar-winning The Pianist. Sandford's fascinating biography illuminates the life and work of one of the most important careers in modern cinema.

Polanski: A Biography

St.Martin's Press

Renowned mystery author Arthur Conan Doyle and famous illusionist Harry Houdini first met in 1920, during the magician's tour of England. At the time, Conan Doyle had given up his lucrative writing career, killing off Sherlock Holmes in the process, in order to concentrate on his increasingly manic interest in Spiritualism. Houdini, who regularly conducted séances in an attempt to reach his late mother, was also infatuated with the idea of what he called a "living afterlife," though his enthusiasm came to be tempered by his ability to expose fraudulent mediums, many of whom employed crude variations of his own well-known illusions. Using previously unpublished material on the murky relationship between Houdini and Conan Doyle, this sometimes macabre, sometimes comic tale tells the fascinating story of the relationship between two of the most loved figures of the 20th century and their pursuit of magic and lost loved ones.

Based on interviews with family members, colleagues, lovers, and the previously silent William Burroughs, this unsparing yet evenhanded biography guides the reader through the many personas, crises, and musical metamorphoses of David Bowie—also known as Davy Jones, the Laughing Gnome, Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, the Thin White Duke, a drug-addled grandfather of punk, actor, art aficionado, political activist, one of rock's most resonant icons, and a totem of modern pop culture. Nowhere else is the man and musician so convincingly deconstructed and so compellingly humanized.

Bowie: Loving The Alien

Da Capo Press

This updated edition of Clapton (based on exclusive sources, including interviews with former band members) discusses his recent albums From the Cradle, Retail Therapy, and Pilgrim; his erratic love life; and his 1998 American tour. From his pioneering work with the Yardbirds and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, through his superstardom in Cream, to his Grammy-winning solo career, here is blues and rock icon Eric Clapton in all his personal and musical complexity.

Clapton: Edge Of Darkness, Updated Edition

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by SANDFORD, Christopher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by SANDFORD, Christopher

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by SANDFORD, Christopher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

McQueen

Imran Khan: The Cricketer, the Celebrity, the Politician

Imran Khan: The Cricketer, the Celebrity, the Politician

Polanski

Masters of Mystery: The Strange Friendship of Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini

Polanski: A Biography

Polanski: A Biography

Masters of Mystery: The Strange Friendship of Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini

Bowie: Loving The Alien

Clapton: Edge Of Darkness, Updated Edition